Automatic regulator.



C. T. HENDERSON. AUTOMATIC REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. I913.' 7 1,293,428. Patented Feb. 4,1919.

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W Clark. Z'HfiraerJorr C. T. HENDERSON. AUTOMATIC REGULATOR. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. I913.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 772060257 Ciarfe'fflenoierson ewqaeqmfi 7 Q? N U Q 0.1. HENDERSON. AUTOMATIC REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. 1913- I 1 ,2935428, Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

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Q? N 0% W To all whom it may concern:

f UNITED. STATES PATENT onmcE.

CLARK T. HENDERSON, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE CUTLER- HAMMER MFG. 00., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4,1919.

Application fled November 22, 1913. Serial No. 802,497.

Be it known that I, CLARK T.Hnnnnnson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Begulators, of which the following is a full, clear,

. concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming lajpart of this s ecificatiolL s invention re ates to improvements in automatic regulators.

The invention is especially adapted for use in automobile lighting systems which employ a generator and a storage battery to supply the lamps. When the generator s eed is sufiiciently high the generator c arges the storage battery and supplies the lamps andwhen the speed is low or the generator is at rest, thebattery su plies the lamps. The generator is prefera ly driven from the automobile englne and hence is subject to wide variations in speed and a r consequent tendency to wide variations in output. The voltage necessary to charge the battery varies the condition of the battery. Furthermore, the voltage necessary to b the battery to a fully charged con dltion 1s higher than the discharging voltage of the battery. Consequently, regulat- 'ing means must be employed to compensate for the varying voltages of the system and to regulate the generator output to supply the lamps and charge the battery under the aryiniconditions of service.

.v in ject of the present invention is to provide improved regulating means wl iich will regulate 'the generator output to that required to charge the battery when the lamps are not lighted and which will automatically vary the standard of regulation;

' 12 in the shunt field circuit. The

when the lamps are lighted.

Another object of the invention is to provido ajregulator for an automobile lighting system with means for automatically reducmg the voltage of the system when the lamps are lighted. Although the invention has been illus trated and described herein as applied to an automobile lighting system it is apparent that it is adapted for use in various other systems.

Preferred forms of the invention are in which, i

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate modified a1 rangements. I

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a preferred form of regulating apparatus with the cover of the inclosing casing removed.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line A B Fig. 5.

Fig. 1 illustrates a generator provided wlth an armature 1 and a shunt field 2.

The generator armature may be conveniently driven by gearing or otherwise from the engme, or any convenient moving part of the automobile. A storage battery 3 is connected to the armature by generator leads 4 and 5. The side and tail slights 6 and the head lights 7 are adapted to be connected across the generator leads in .parallel with the battery. An automatic switch may bfifirovidedin one generator lead which has a the generator and a holding coil 9 connected in series in the generator lead. The

ing coil 8 connected in shunt across shunt coil 8 is adapted to operate the switch to close the circuit between the generator and battery when the voltage is sufliciently high to charge the battery. The series and shunt coils act together to maintain the switch closed. If the nerator voltage falls below the battery v0 tage the battery will tend to discharge through the generator, thus reversing the series coil 9 and vcausing the switch to open. 7

' The automatic regulator controls the generator output by varying the effective resistance of the shuntfield circuit. The regulator comprises a contact 10 carried by a vibratory armature 11 adapted to rapidly open and close a shortcircuit arounda recharacter of vibration of the-contact 10 determines the efiective value oi the resistance as the value of the resistance is of course length of the time the resistance is in cir cuit. The vibration of the armature is controlled by electromagnetic windings having a high resistance coil 13 connected across the generator .leads through a resistance 14 and a comparatively low resistance coil 15 connected 1n series in the battery lead 5'. "A lamp switch 16 controls the side and tail v lights 6 and a switch 17 controls the head 100 its mean value and is proportional to the 1 build up until, at a predetermined speed, the

lights 7. The closure of either switch 16 or l'7 serves to short-circuit the resistance 14 in circuit with the regulator shunt coil.

The operation of the system is as follows:

lVhen the generator starts to operate itsvoltage will be insuflicient to open the shortcircuit around the resistance 12. Consequently, the generator voltage will rapidly voltage will be sufficient tocause the automatic switch to close the charging circuit to the battery. As the generator speed further increases, current flowing through the series coil 15 acting in conjunction with that in the shunt coil 13 will operate the vibratory contact to vary' the field excitation, thereby controlling the generator output. It is a well known fact that as the storage battery is charged its potential increases reaching finally, in the case of a lead battery, apotential of 2.5 V. per cell when fully charged. As the battery voltage rises V 10. By varying the proportions of these coils any desired charging characteristic may be given to the battery. .It is preferable in most cases to so proportion the coils as to provide a taper charge. Operating coil 13 being ordiifari'ly wound with copper wire, a continued flow of "current through this wlnding will cause arise in its temperature which will increase the resistance of the coil and thereby reduce the current flowing through it to such an extent as to noticeably vary its effectiveness. To compensate for this increase in resistance a resistance 14 may be connected in series with the coil 13. If this resistance is of'substantially zero coeflicient, and if its value is relatively high as compared with that of the coil 13, the increase in resistance due to the heating of the coil 13, will be negligible in proportion to the entire resistance of the shunt coil circuit so that the coil 13 will exert. a predetermined pull for a given voltage on the system, regardless of its temperature rise.

Upon closure of either lamp switch a short circuit will be established around the resistance 14 and the circuit for the coil 13 "will be from lead 4, through the coil 13, through conductor 18, the cross connection 19, between the lamp switches and conductor 20, to the lead 5. The effect of the regulator shunt coil 13 will be immediately increased so as to cause this coil to predominate in the regulation.v As a result a substantially uniform voltage will be closure of the lamp switch 16.

maintained, but at a voltage somewhat below the maximum charging voltage of the battery, so that lamps which will satisfactorily operate at the battery discharging voltage may be operated. directly from the battery charging generator without. the interposition of a compensating resistance .in the lamp circuit.

The system illustrated in Fig. 2 is similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1. In this modification the regulator series coil 15 is connected in the main generator lead instead of in the battery lead, and hence regulates in response to total generator current instead of in response to battery charging current. Upon closure of either lamp switch, the resistance 14 will be short-circuited andthe voltage coil 13 will become sufficiently energized to predominate in the regulation and maintain a practically constant voltage upon the generator.

In Fig. the controlling windings for the regulator are further modified. The regulator has a series winding 15 through which the total generator current flows. The shunt coil 13 is connected directly across the generator leads without the resistance 14.. An

additional low resistance winding 21 is con nected 1n series with the lamps 6, upon assiststhe coils l3 and 15. As the lamps 6 are turned on the generator voltage will be reduced due to the efi'ect of the additional current flowing to these lamps. This current is effective both in the main serieswinding 15 and in the auxiliary winding 21 but as the side and tail lights are generally of low candle power the effect of this current will not be suflicient to unduly reduce the generator voltage. The head lights 7, however, are generally high candle power lamps. Therefore, when the head lights are lighted a greatly increased current will fiow in the coil 15. The increased effect of this coil will be suiiicient to reduce the generator voltage to the desired value without the auxiliary coil 21. A cross connection 22 is therefore provided between the lamp switches which will short-circuit the 3.113(- iliary coil 21 upon closure of the head light switch.

Fig. 4 illustrates a further modification in which the regulating series coils are not employed. The shunt coil 13 is connected across the generator through the resistance 14 as in Fig. 1 and either lamp switch is effective to short-circuit this resistance as previously described. This modified arrangement will tend to hold a prede- This .coil

v field winding'2 to limit the generator out-- put. v

' Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a practical embodiment of the regulating apparatus. The

regulator and the automatic switch are prefrising from the base at one side of the wind- 7 ing. The opposite end of the armature ter-.

minates in a flexible member which carries the vibratory contact 10. This contact, in vibrating, is adapted to rapidly make and break contact with an adjustable contact 27 The contact 27 preferably consists of] a screw mounted in the upper end of a support 28 and adjustable, by turning, toward or away from the vibratory contact. The contact is held in its adjusted position by a spring detent 28 coijperating with the milled edge of the screw. In its normal position the armature is so held that, the'contacts 1O and 27 are normally in engagement To .up or down to provide forholding the armature in its normal position, the armature is extended beyond the pivot. The extended end is engaged by means of an adjustable spring mounted abutment 29. The abutment 29 consists of a threaded stud passing freely through the end of the armature and yieldingly attached by means of a spring 30 to the base. An adjustable nut 31 on the stud above the-armature is adapted to be turned adjust the tension to be exertedby the sprin The nut is rovided with a depending operates with a depression 33 in the armature to hold the nut from turning. Suitable guards 34 preferably of brass or other nonmagnetic material are attached to the magnet frame and extend on opposite sides of the vibratory contact support. The electrical connections from the shunt field winding to the vibratory armature may be made be ow the insulating base to the anchoring stud for the spring, and the connections from the field to the fixed contact may be made through the support for the contact The resistance 12 is preferably in the form of a coiland is supported on the insulating base.

One end of the resistance may be electrically connected with the su port for the contact -27 while the other en may be connectedto the armature support 26. j

, The automatic switch is similar in construction to the regulator except that thefixed. contact is mounted below the movable contact so that the spring will normally hold the contacts separated.- Ener 'zation' of the electromagnetic winding *-3 5 or the switch will close the contactsia'gain'st thepull of the spring.

, sistance in series 'fe edge 32 w ich 00- The supporting base and the regulator and switch members are preferably inclosed in a casing provided with a bottom 36 and a removable cover 37. The cover may be held in place by the stud 38 attached to the base and passing through a depression 39 in the cover. A spring 40 surrounds the end of the stud above the cover and is compressed to hold the cover in place by the nut 41. A seal 42 may be utilized to prevent unauthorized tampering with the device.

What I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a variable source of electrical supply, a plurality of load circuits to be supplied thereby, a regulator for said source, said regulator including a compound operating coil, one winding of said coil being connected in a load circuit and another winding of said coil being responsive to variations in potential of one of said load circuits, a resistance in series with said latter winding, and means for causing said winding to predominate in the regulation of said switch having jointly acting operating windings, one of said-windings being connected in windings being responsive to variations in potential of one of saidload circuits, a rewithsaid latter winding,

a load circuit, another of said.

- said source including an electro-responsive switches for connecting additional load circuits to saidsource and electrical connections for insuring predominance of sa1d winding in the regulation of said source by short-circuiting said resistance upon closure of any one of said switches.

3. In combination, a variable sourceof electrical supply, a plurality of load circuits to be supplied there y, regulating means for said source including a resistance and an electro-responsive switch for governing the exclusion and inclusion thereof, said switch.

being responsive jointly to current variatlons and to voltage varlatlons in certain of said load circuits and a switch for connecting certain of said "load circuits to said source and simultaneously causing said volt Y age variations 'to be predominant in the action of said. regulating means.

In an automobile lightlng system, a

variable speed generator provided with a shunt field, a storage battery and lamps sup; plied thereby, a resistance in series with said field, a vibratory contact for intermittently short-circuiting said resistance, electro-magnetic means for controlling thevibrations' of said contact, said means including a coil'in series with the battery and a coil connected across the generator through a resistance, a In witness whereof, .I have hereunto subsecond reslstance in series with said coil, scribed my name in the presence of two witswitches for controlhng the circuits for sald nesses.

lamps and connections whereby one of said CLARK T. HENDERSON.

resistances in series with said coil connected Witnesses: across the generator 1s short-circulted when F. H. HUBBARD, any one of said lamp swltches is closed. JEANETTE S. BROOK. 

